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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29411328">That Time of the Year</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MouseFantoms/pseuds/MouseFantoms'>MouseFantoms</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Julie and The Phantoms (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Mention of the boy's backstories, More so Reggie's backstories, One Shot, Ray and Carlos knowing about the boys</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 11:14:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,478</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29411328</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MouseFantoms/pseuds/MouseFantoms</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>As Julie has help decorating for the holiday season, it becomes apparent that this time of the year has new meaning for not just her, but her phantoms as well.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alex Mercer &amp; Julie Molina &amp; Luke Patterson &amp; Reggie Peters, Carlos Molina &amp; Julie Molina, Julie Molina &amp; Ray Molina, Julie Molina &amp; Reggie Peters, Ray Molina &amp; Luke Patterson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>That Time of the Year</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was originally written and put up during the holiday season but I am in the process of transferring all the fics I have written on Tumblr onto here. It's still a pretty heartwarming fic I think.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Julie nearly jumped out of her skin.</p><p>“I will NEVER get used to that.” She said in response to seeing Luke on the couch as she walked into the living room with a box.</p><p>“My bad.” He apologized.</p><p>She carried the box with her and set it down on the table beginning to open it.</p><p>“What’s that?” He wondered.</p><p>From the cardboard box she pulled out a red bobble. “Ordaments!”</p><p>She noticed his reaction, “Oh… this early?”</p><p>She raised an eyebrow. “It’s not that early…” she said beginning to put ordamendments on baren tree.</p><p>“Sorry… it’s just-” she noticed how he seemed to hesitate.</p><p>“You don’t need to get into it if you don’t want to.” She assumed it had something to do with the past, a touchy matter.</p><p>“But I want to.” He let her know. “When I ran out on my parents… it was around this time.”</p><p>“Oh…” She understood. “…maybe you can work on associating it with something else.” She offered.</p><p>He cocked his head curiously. She held out a blue ordament in her hand. He stared blankly at it.</p><p>“Come here.” She gestured her head.</p><p>He got up from the couch and went over to her. He tried to grab the ordament however his hand went right through. However after a few attempts, he finally got a hold of it. Julie stepped aside from being in front of the tree. He looked at her for what to do next. She looked to the tree then back at him hoping he’d get the hint. He hung the blue bulb on the open branch in front of him, he then looked to her for gratitude.</p><p>“You want to help me put more on?”</p><p>He hesitated but then a smile adorned his face, “Yeah… that would be nice.”</p><p>They shared a smile as they began to pull more ornaments from the box and place them on the tree together wherever there was open space on the tree.</p><p>“Wow.” They heard someone from the couch say. They turned their heads to see that Reggie had decided to poof in.</p><p>“Like it?” Julie smiled.</p><p>“It looks nice.”</p><p>“Want to help?”</p><p>“No thanks… I’m- I’m alright.” Luke immediately saw his uncertainty to answer.</p><p>“The invite still applies you know.” He said.</p><p>He nodded understanding. “I know.”</p><p>Julie felt like she was in the middle of some sort of second code. “Decided to get away time from dad?” She decided to change the subject.</p><p>“Yeah, he started to look up presents for you guys and I didn’t want to intrude.”</p><p>“That reminds me!” Julie remembered. “What do you guys want?”</p><p>“What?” Luke asked confused.</p><p>“You want to get us something?” Reggie wanted to clear it up.</p><p>“Yeah…” she was confused as to why they were.</p><p>“You don’t have-”</p><p>“But I do.“ She interrupted Luke. “You guys are important to me.”</p><p>Reggie and Luke smiled at her calling them important in her life.</p><p>“It’s been awhile.” Luke had a hard time remembering the last time he was asked.</p><p>“Pretty sure we’ll be happy with whatever you get us.”</p><p>Just then Ray entered the room.</p><p>“Starting early?” He asked seeing his daughter had already began to decorate.</p><p>“I couldn’t resist.” She shrugged.</p><p>He noticed how much of the tree was decorated in the short of time. Especially the ordaments that where placed higher than his daughter’s height.</p><p>“Had help?”</p><p>Her smile answered his question.</p><p>“Are they…?”</p><p>Seeing the blue ornament move from the box to the tree he got his answer.</p><p>“Hi Luke.” He smiled.</p><p>Learning the truth about his daughter’s band was… interesting to say the least. Luckily though, he got pretty used to the idea fairly quickly. The boys had brought music back into her life. They brought his little girl back. Not that he directly owed them anything but they had done so much for his daughter. It was always touching knowing that they weren’t only a band but friends too. Of course, since learning of them, Ray and Carlos were constantly curious if they were around. Julie couldn’t blame them but it did get repetitive after awhile so instead a system was emplaced especially after Ray learned that Reggie likes to hang with him.</p><p>He decided to leave a notebook out with a pen so that Reggie could let him know if he was there. It didn’t take long for the others to also chat with Ray. He left out many different colors of pens but Reggie seemed to always go for the red, Luke the blue and Alex the pink. It was already pretty clear who’s writing was who’s but it was always nice to see the different colors of writing. It was refreshing whenever Julie came home and he would hear, “Luke stop pushing Alex. Alex stop telling Reggie that it’s your to turn to- Ok! All of you will get a turn to talk to Dad if you just wait.”. Out of anything for the boys to “fight” over that was probably the best option.</p><p>“Should have known.” He added when learning that it was Luke who was helping her with the tree. “Are Reggie and Alex…”</p><p>“Reggie’s on the couch.” she told him, “He was with you until you started to look at gifts for Carlos and I, he didn’t want to intrude.”</p><p>“You could have been talking to me.” He looked in the direct of where he assumed Reggie was.</p><p>There was silence as Julie was listening to what Reggie was saying in order to translate it to him.</p><p>“Sometimes he just likes to be by you… it’s comforting.”</p><p>“…well in that case be by me as much as you want.”</p><p>“Also stay around as long as you want if it means seeing what we get.” Carlos had come from the kitchen into the living room overhearing the conversation.</p><p>“Carlos…” Ray began.</p><p>“Just a suggestion.” He put his hands up in defense.</p><p>Julie let out a laugh, “It’s not like he would say anything if he did see something.” she paused hearing what Reggie was saying. “He wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise.”</p><p>“Oh yeah!” He dad remembered hearing the word surprise. “Did you…”</p><p>“Yes I did, I already have it covered.”</p><p>Luke’s eyebrows furrowed guessing what was being talked about. “You guys both really don’t have to get us any-”</p><p>“But we want to Luke.” She looked heartwarmingly behind her to him. “Please?”</p><p>He couldn’t deny the look in her eyes.</p><p>“They’re having one of their moments.” Carlos whispered to his dad which Julie gave a response via a glare. She looked over to Ray as a hint to tell him to scold him.</p><p>“How many times have I told you to not get involved in your sister’s relationship?”</p><p>“DAD!”</p><p>“Hey,” he looked to his son already pushing him towards the door, “why don’t we head to the store to pick up some of those decorations?” He wanted to change the subject.</p><p>“Ooo!” Reggie perked up. “I wanna go too!” Luke and Julie watched him poof away as Ray and Carlos left through the front door.</p><p>“Glad he can at least do that.” Luke said to himself with a warm smile once his friend poofed away.</p><p>Julie looked to him curious.</p><p>“Back when he was alive,” she noticed how he paused, “his parents were always shouting at each other. He would come late at night to the studio to join Alex and I. We always told him that he could come more often if he needed to and he’d just nod. The amount of Christmas’ we would spend in that garage. It would be a no brained for Alex and I and we’d always remind him that he was invited.”</p><p>Reggie hanging out with Ray, Luke earlier telling him that the invite still applied and turning down the offer of decorating the tree all suddenly made a lot of sense.</p><p>“It’s just nice to see that he doesn’t mind going with your dad and brother to do Christmas-y shopping.”</p><p>“So you guys have always spent Christmas with each other?”</p><p>He thought for a moment. “Yeah… guess we have. But now-”</p><p>She shared his smile, “Now?”</p><p>He handed her an ornament to put up. As the two continued to accessorize the tree, Julie thought about how much of a change this Christmas was compared to past ones. Sadly, it would be one without her mom, but she’d be spending it with 3 of the most amazing guys in the world. She kept in mind that after she be very very sure that the gifts in her room were extra extra hidden (just in case). At least the blue beanie, gay pride pin and a The Child plushie were all already wrapped.</p><p>At least she’d still be spending the season with her family, that hadn’t changed even with the 3 new additions in her life.</p>
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